Will the bylaws allow you to make the sidewalk wider as it goes around your house to the front door? By looking at your pictures, I can see why people have trouble finding your front door.

Can you install a light on the corner leading around to the door? Either a lamppost or on the wall by the corner.

Are you allowed to install stepping stones from a point of the driveway to the side walkway? If not maybe outline the walkway with a low growing plant like liriope to bring emphasis to it?

We are unable to make any additions to the walkway including making it wider or extending it. We do already have solar lights lining the current walkway, leading to the door...

Oops, I missed that comment about the HOA. That makes it a lot tougher. Are you allowed to add stepping stones or anything of that nature? You might put another set of solar lights on the outer edge of the walkway as well, to highlight it further. It's hard to tell what's going on with the landscaping without a more complete view (if you can take some pictures from farther back in the driveway that would be helpful), but I would start by removing the two shrubs flanking the garage for sure.

Are you the only ones with this design? If not, I'd get with others who may have the same problem and petition the HOA for an acceptable modification to all of the units. Perhaps first work with a landscape architect to come up with a proposal all of those similarly situated find acceptable and present that.

So... basically, your garage and driveway are the side of your house and the front of the house faces... what? Does it face another street? Are you allowed to add a step stone pathway or something from the side of your walkway by the front door going out towards whatever the real front of your house faces? Because I would totally dig up that bush in front of your front door and add a pathway there. Even if you can’t add a pathway I’d get rid of that bush because it makes your front door look like a side door.

And I’m not usually one for signs or garden flags or any of that stuff, but I’d probably put a cute wooden sign in the shape of an arrow or something with the words “front door this way” in the garden bed to the right of your garage.

Yes, as skmom said, the bed/bushes in front of your front door definitely make it look like a side door. I would probably remove that bed entirely and just run the grass all the way up to the walk on that side.

You really need to do something to monument that pathway. Way more substantial post lights in place of those dinky path lights. Remove a couple feet of sod on the outside of the walkway and plant a low hedge. Add a garden arbor over the walkway. And I agree - get rid of shrubs on either side of garage.

I like the arbor idea--it would draw visitor's eyes in the right direction. A cute little sign saying "Front door this way!" would help. I'm sure there are Etsy folk out there that could make a nice sign for you.

A sign like this maybe. About 18" wide.

I think "way-finding" is a big deal in the design fields such as urban & regional planning and landscape architecture. A lot of that involves signage. Although you can provide gentle hints with lights and plantings, etc., a more direct strategy might be the most successful and economical. What if you teamed up with your other HOA members to design and buy some consistent and classy permanent signs that say "Entrance this way." Maybe they could be installed on arms underneath a post light? We stick numbers on our houses, why not other helpful information? Design classes at universities often look for little challenges like these for their studio projects, so that could be a fun option.

Something like this, but on a post. I promise, if you do it, everyone else with a side entry will ask you where you got it.

This is a design challenge that can be helped with landscaping that extends toward visitors as they approach your home along the driveway. Visitors do not necessarily have to see the path as long as you lead them there with cues from the landscaping. See our Design Gallery for planting bed inspiration. If allowed by your homeowners association, perhaps also add a vertical element where the walkway changes direction to indicate the presence of a path. This element would add height and interest - it could be a fountain, sculpture, bench or colorful planted container.

1000 likes for Anna's sign, above.